Brad Pitt has spoken out after learning that his AI-generated likeness was used in an online scam that swindled a French woman out of €830,000 (approximately $851,000).
The iconic actor expressed shock and anger over the misuse of his image to deceive the victim.
The woman, a 53-year-old named Anne, believed she was in a romantic relationship with Pitt after communicating online for nearly 18 months.
The scammer, using Pitt’s AI-generated image, won her trust with declarations of love and even proposed marriage. Convinced of the relationship, Anne divorced her wealthy husband, who was 19 years older than her.
According to The Daily Express US, Brad Pitt addressed the scam involving his name after it gained attention last week.
A spokesperson for the actor stated, “It’s awful that scammers take advantage of the strong bond between fans and celebrities.”
“This is an important reminder not to respond to unsolicited online messages, especially from actors who are not present on social networks.”
At first, Anne sent money for customs fees on luxury handbags the fake Pitt had supposedly promised her.
But the scheme escalated when the scammers claimed he was hospitalized with kidney cancer and urgently needed funds for treatment.
The scammers even sent fake images of Brad Pitt lying in a hospital bed. Although Anne’s daughter initially warned her it was a scam, she insisted the “relationship” was genuine.
The truth finally became clear in the summer of 2024 when Anne saw the real Brad Pitt publicly spotted with his partner, Inès de Ramon.
By then, however, she had already handed over hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In an emotional TV interview in France, she described how she was manipulated into believing the elaborate lie.
She told French broadcaster TF1, “There are few men who write to you like that. I loved the man I was talking to. He knew how to talk to women and it was very well put together.”
“We’re talking about Brad Pitt here and I was stunned. At first, I thought it was fake, but I didn’t really understand what was happening to me.”
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